C1983 Open the Door to Welcome the Guest

After Dark Phoenix Zhiya departed, Yu Yuan remained seated in contemplation for an extended period. He ceased his attempts to sense the overwhelming vital energy and its integration with his heart and body. Instead, he pondered the words Dark Phoenix had spoken before her leave. It was he who had thwarted Dark Phoenix's advancement to the eleventh level of blood magic, denying her the opportunity to gain the favor of the Primal Blood.

Without his interference, Dark Phoenix was confident she could have earned the Primal Blood's blessing. With her eleventh-level combat prowess, she would have unified the alien beast resources of this realm and launched an offensive against the Wasteland. Such a move would have spared the beings of this world from the threat of the Beast God's invasion.

Now, having not yet reached the eleventh level himself, Yu Yuan was confined to defending the Abyssal Gate, allowing the Beast God to roam this realm unchecked, along with the elusive Lord of Ruin.

"Is it possible that I am to blame?" Yu Yuan's brow furrowed in thought.

Streams of blood-red light chaotically shot through his heart, some funneling into the vitality within his little world. Agonizing pain radiated from his heart to his limbs, acupoints, and bones as the vital energy refined his real body.

This pure vital energy lacked the bloodline mysteries inscribed by the Lord of Ruin. Yu Yuan could have sent it to the Abyssal Gate via the Dragon Slaying Stage. By reconfiguring the Solar Spirit, he could have imprinted the life force he had deciphered to create his unique life dew.

Yet, after some deliberation, Yu Yuan concluded that Cardo of the Dawnbringers was not in such dire need of immediately forging a Life Keychain.

"Lord of Ruin!" he exclaimed softly. He attempted to use the life dew to discern if he could detect the King of the Monsters' presence.

A burst of Soul Power emerged from the depths of his dominant soul, enveloping the life dew that had merged with his heart, and unfurled its perceptive reach. His consciousness and thoughts, powered by the energy still dissolving in his chest, stretched out into the vastness of the cosmos.

The Glimmerdrift Nebula, Dark Realm, and Luminous Planet came into view. Within these three familiar Astral Domains, three Dark Towers loomed. There, he saw the gathering Beast Gods and the figures of the Ape, the white boa, and Green Willow.

In just a fleeting moment, a deep, bestial roar erupted, and the recently emerged scene, along with the starry coordinates, vanished without a trace. The source of the roar was unknown, yet it seemed to detect his actions, throwing his exploratory path into disarray and preventing him from discerning any further details.

Lord of Ruin!

Yu Yuan was absolutely certain that the Lord of Ruin was lurking in the shadows, interfering with his senses, and was about to swiftly issue commands to reassign the Beast Gods from the three Dark Towers.

No matter how Yu Yuan tried to sense it, he came up empty-handed.

He decided to cease his efforts and instead utilized his Solar Spirit to locate Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie, to ensure they weren't in any trouble.

Oddly enough, the two Dragon Gods had vanished from his perception.

The Dragon Gods, who had ventured into the Secret Realm of Time and entered the shattered Starry Sky Forbidden Zone, were now beyond the reach of his Solar Spirit, which could not track their movements through the Life Keychain.

Conversely, his dominant soul could easily catch glimpses of Cao Jiaze with just a thought.

Creak!

The massive stone door gradually swung open, powered by Taishi's divine force.

Taishi was the only one to enter.

Leaving everyone else outside, he stepped into the chamber alone and asked, "What's happened?"

"The control Zhiya had over the blood of the Everlands' creatures has been strangely wiped away because I attempted to merge with the life dew of the Lord of Ruin," Yu Yuan explained.

"Zhiya..." Taishi's face took on a look of surprise. "Have you awakened?"

"Except for the memories tied to that entity beneath the Everlands, everything else is slowly coming back to me," Yu Yuan replied, giving him a glance. "The Lord of Ruin has come with the initial wave of invading Beast Gods. I'm certain of its presence, yet its hiding place eludes me."

Yu Yuan's expression shifted subtly as he added, "Given its strength and its understanding of bloodlines, it could manifest in any conceivable form. Be it human, evilkind, Shura, or Dawnbringer, it only needs to collect a single drop of their lifeblood to decipher the inherent secrets and effortlessly alter its shape."

"It could even create multiple, distinct versions of itself, scattered across various locations!"

Yu Yuan speculated.

"It's already here?!"

Taishi's face paled as he was seized by sudden suspicion. "Based on what you're saying, if the Lord of Ruin is concealing his identity in our world, he could be anyone, right?"

Yu Yuan grunted affirmatively.

"Do you have any good suggestions?" Taishi inquired.

"He'll only reveal himself when he targets the most powerful among us. He's likely meticulously studying our world and waiting for the conflict between us and the Everlands to erupt." After a moment of contemplation, Yu Yuan disclosed the location of the Secret Realm of Time to Taishi, urging him to visit.

"Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie are there, and I'm concerned about potential dangers. You, along with Cardo and Reid, should keep watch."

"Understood."

...

Everlands.

Sundering Isles, Devil Island.

"I've already notified Han Miaoyuan; you may begin."

Tan Xiaotian stood on a steep cliff, observing a gray-robed elder with a sleazy grin and yellow teeth. "You've prepared the magic item for your advancement, haven't you?"

"Absolutely."

Wuran nodded with a smile.

Whoosh!

A tower constructed from thousands of skeletons was levitated by Wuran, swiftly expanding in size.

The acrid stench of blood and the wails of Bloodwraiths erupted from the ascending tower. Wuran rose to his feet and abruptly retreated into the structure.

The bone tower, resembling a mountain of corpses, began its descent into the depths of the sea.

Tan Xiaotian suddenly looked up.

Whoosh!

The Wraithbanner he had been safeguarding autonomously soared into the air, shooting toward the heavens.

Simultaneously, a hidden essence from the Everlands burst forth, converging with the Wraithbanner onto a soul.

Now endowed with the Wraithbanner and an additional essence, the individual seemed to instantly refine a tangible body.

He appeared briefly in the sky before instantly transporting to the Moonfall Sanctuary. Gazing at the Banner of Duality that concealed the Domain Channel, he lifted his hand and declared, "With things as they are, there's no need for further secrecy."

The Banner of Duality that Han Miaoyuan had been holding soared from the chasm, unveiling the Domain Channel.

"Why?"

Han Miaoyuan and Lin Daoke arrived in succession, one after the other.

He clutched the Banner of Duality, eyeing the now-active Domain Channel with concern. "Won't the Star-Spawned Terrors and the God-King from Boulderdawn be able to easily come through from the Hellmouth?"

"What's there to worry about?"

Jihui offered a carefree smile. "We used to be vigilant against the Dark Phoenix and Taishi, one capable of erasing humanity, the other of splitting the Everlands asunder."

"But do we still need to be on high alert against these two threats?"

At that, Han Miaoyuan fell silent.

"How did the Dark Phoenix suddenly lose its grip on the lifeblood of all beings in the Everlands?" Tan Xiaotian asked as he approached.

"It's all down to Yu Yuan. I can't disclose the specifics," Jihui replied, casting a glance at the Everlands' barrier. After a moment's thought, he declared, "Let's open our doors and welcome them in!"

"What do you mean, 'open our doors and welcome them in'?" Tan Xiaotian asked, puzzled.

"Han, the Everlands no longer need the barrier. Either you assimilate it into the Banner of Duality, or I'll take it into the Wraithbanner," Jihui proposed.

Han Miaoyuan, Lin Daoke, and Tan Xiaotian were all taken aback.

"The ones remaining on this land are either at the pinnacle or in the Unbound state, with the least powerful being Solar Spirits. Without the barrier's protection and with the Star River's psionic power pouring in, it won't affect anyone."

Jihui chuckled. "The extraterrestrial supreme beings are filled with curiosity about the Everlands."

"And not long ago, the Dark Phoenix was still using its primal essence to visit."

"If they're so eager to see and learn what secrets the Everlands hold, why not just openly show them?"

Han Miaoyuan was about to respond when he suddenly caught a faint whisper in his mind. Startled, he spoke with an odd look on his face, "I'll refine it using the Banner of Duality."

"Are you sure that's the right move?" Tan Xiaotian asked, his expression mirroring the strangeness of the situation.

"It's the directive I received."

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